1939 – Maria Ouspenskaya
Love Affair
I want to start off by saying that even though she only had a few minutes of screen time, Ouspenskaya really deserved her Oscar nomination. She was so good, and she added so much to the movie. True, she was typecast into the role of an old, but loveable foreign grandmother, but she was so perfect. She stood out, even against her incredibly famous co-stars. Seriously, she only shared the screen with Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne, but it’s her that I really remember in that scene.
It is significant to note that this was not Maria’s first Best Supporting Actress nomination. She was also nominated in 1936 for her performance in Dodsworth. But unlike her part in that film, here, she just had such a warm and inviting presence. She is the kindly grandmother we all want to have. Part of me wants to say that it was all in her eyes, but that wouldn’t be true. It was her whole presence. She had an incredibly expressive smile. Her posture displayed nobility and strength of character, if not strength of body. She moved slowly, as an elderly woman might, but not so slow that she was a caricature. She was frail, but not ridiculous. She was just lovely on so many levels.
She played the character of Grandmother Janou. She is Michel’s dear grandmother who lives in a darling chateau in Madeira. Her love for her grandson is clearly evident in their interactions, and she forms a quick bond with his love interest, Terry. And when it is time for the lovers to return to the boat, the tears that roll down her cheeks were real and very touching. She played her part to perfection.
Something else wonderful about her performance was that at one point, she had to play the piano. I can usually tell if a person in a film is actually playing their instrument, or if they are being dubbed. I think Ouspenskaya was actually playing the piano, or if not, she was faking it incredibly well. Her fingers actually appeared to be playing the correct notes, and I call that impressive. As a matter of fact, it was a very sweet moment in the film. When Terry begins to sing along with Grandmother Janou, it made Michel really fall in love with Terry. It was such a beautiful scene, and Ouspenskaya really did a fantastic job in her brief role.